The present invention relates to a play ball, particularly one having handles and suitable for hopping by a player seated thereon.
Oversized play balls are known in the art, in particular those of sufficient size to seat a player. The player grasps handles that are affixed to and extend from ball while they sit on the ball, and uses their legs to make repeated hops.
However, the well-known hopping ball has several disadvantages. In the first instance, the type of play is limited to hopping or bouncing. In another instance, the handles while necessary for the players to balance themselves on the ball, can present a hazard by trapping the hands or wrists when the player loses balance and falls off the ball. Many of these balls use inverted U-shaped handles that could easily trap a hand or arm and cause injury to it as the ball rolls over with the force of the bouncer's weight, especially when used with a trampoline whereon a bouncer can jump higher, generating more impact force. Further, when such balls are deployed on a trampoline rebounding surface they exhibit a tendency to slide or slip around, giving the bouncer less control.